Better Than Ever
by Roses Petal
Summary: [Fruits Basket xover]Never have things been harder for Kagome. Graduating from high school earlier than her peers at the age of 16, she decides to revisit her old high school two years later. At Kaibara she becomes a TA... [Full Summary Inside]
1. Chapter 1

**Better Than Ever** (Coming Back)

* * *

Summary: Never have things been harder for Kagome. Graduating from high school earlier than her peers at the age of 16, she decides to re-visit her old high school two years later. At Kaibara she becomes a TA, to once again roam the campus, stir up old emotions and secrets that should've stay buried. Pairing Unknown. A Twisted Cinderella Version.

_Author's Notes_:

So to everyone who is disappointed in me, I'm sorry. I've given up on _Zodiac Love_, maybe one day I'll revise it so that it's a better fanfiction piece. This is all you'll get out of me from now on, because I don't think I can actually do a Furuba fanfic.

So if you don't like it, don't read.

Oh, I almost forgot, I would like to thank those of you who have been making Furuba/Inu Yasha crossovers. You have inspired me, so very much, to make another even though I don't know a thing about Furuba anymore. These fanfics inspired me, _Much Too Young_ by **moosegirl13** and _Love Hidden Within_ by **gothic fuzzies**. Both of these fanfics are on Mediaminer(dot)org. Go ahead, I know you want to read them, go on!

**The meaning behind the "Twisted Cinderella Version" thing:**

So many of you are probably wondering why I have the, "Twisted Cinderella Thing"… I'm not really sure myself. Anyway, whoever I decide to pair Kagome with will be the Prince Charming, not meaning it will be Yuki though I am leaning towards that, and Kagome will be Cinderella. The fairy godmother shall be… Uh, a guy. I know, odd huh? Who cares, its twisted, its my story. If I tell you what I mean… I realize that I'd be giving away the whole story. So read, and find out!

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Chapter 1: Old Memories, Hidden Pain

* * *

She smiled; everything looked the same as she had left it two years ago. Girls were bustling around in little groups talking about whatever was in, and whoever the hottest boy in school was. She could remember herself as one of those girls, trying everyday to fit in, she knew she made hard things look so easy. Her car swerved into a parking space, almost colliding with a car trying to get out of the space next to her.

"Watch where you're going, bitch!" screamed the driver. She just shook her head at his crude remark, ignoring him as he sped away. Her raven colored hair caught in the morning light, giving her bluish highlights, as she got out of her car. Her brown-hued sunglasses protected her from the bright waves of light, giving her a sophisticated look about her.

A little group of girls bunched together stopped whispering as she passed, then they went back to whispering among themselves.

"_I think I've seen her before…"_

"_Have you seen her before?"_

"_Never!" _

She heard little bits of their conversation before entering the doors of Kaibara High School. Kagome breathed in the air around her, the halls smelled dusty and seemed so full of life. Students walked around, some noticing her and some not. She opted to keep her sunglasses over her eyes, effectively keeping her cobalt eyes out of sight. That would've set her apart from many girls, since most Asians didn't have blue eyes. She wanted to remain inconspicuous. Her stride was steady, her back straight, eyes looking forward as she walked towards the office.

"Hello, how may I help you?" smiled the lady at the front. Her hair was in a tight bun, her black hair streaked with grey. She had a crooked smile, her lips quirked upward.

"Hello. I was wondering if the Principle was in, I'm supposed to ask him about my TA (Teacher's Aide) position." Kagome sent the lady a smile, pushing the sunglasses up onto her head.

"I'll see." The lady said, pushing a button. "Mr. Nazuna, Ms. Higurashi is here. Shall I send her in?"

"Yes, send her in." a voice said from the box.

"Good bye, dear." The lady smiled, before returning to her work. Kagome waved back to her, and walked into the office of Mr. Nazuna.

Not much in his office had changed since she had been here two years ago. There was a few more paintings, more cups saying '_You're the best!_', and another couch.

"Miss Higurashi. You've grown since I've seen you." His voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Well it has been a couple years, Principal Nazuna." Kagome smiled at him. Today just seemed to be one of those overly happy days for Kagome, she kept smiling at people.

"Yet there have been no students that have surpassed you." He sighed, running his hand through his hair. If any of the girls in his school showed any signs of having a decent brain he wouldn't have been like this but, most of the girls were busy running after the Sohma boys. He liked to think that the ones who had brains were in hiding.

Kagome shook her head, and rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that. But I was wondering who's TA I would be?"

"Oh, let's see… Hm, there's only one open space for a TA at this time. So, I guess, you'll be the TA for Ms. Mayuko Shiraki." He said in a small whisper.

"Can you say the teacher's name again?" Kagome was hesitant to believe what she had just heard. "Did you say Ms. Shiraki?"

"Yes, of course."

"Ah," Kagome was nervous; she needed to find a way out of this situation quickly. She remembered Ms. Shiraki, who _wouldn't_, she was one scary teacher. She could be scary and mean; she was Kagome's most feared teacher in high school. "Good bye then, I'll see you later, Mr. Nazuna."

* * *

Here she was outside Ms. Shiraki's class, her sunglasses back over her eyes. She was trying to decide whether or not to just skip the TA position, or to open the door. Suddenly the bell rang; it was time for every one to go to their homeroom class. "Oh, shit." Kagome breathed in. She was pushed away by a crowd of students waiting to get into the class. Roughly pushed to the side by hands and jabbing elbows Kagome waited until the flow of students trickled down to a few. Just as she was heading into the class the bell rang, signaling to those who were late to hurry up or their asses would be in trouble. Kagome never did find a seat, since Ms. Shiraki decided to smack her in the head with her clipboard.

"Didn't I tell you kids to get in your seats, **before** I came in?" The class nodded. "So then what's she doing up?" Her tight ponytail shook.

"Teacher, who is she?" asked one student in the back. "She looks new."

"She must be my new TA." Ms. Shiraki mused, more to herself than the class. "Take a seat here in this empty desk… It's disrespectful to wear your sunglasses in class. Take them off." Her eyes narrowed at Kagome. A frown tugged at Kagome's lips as she placed her sunglasses on her head. "Ah, Higurashi, nice to see you again." Sensei's lips twisted into a thin tight-lipped smile, her eyes recognizing her old student.

"It's nice to see you again as well." Kagome replied back, a fake smile on her face.

"Class, I'd like you to meet Kagome Higurashi, the resident genius at our school; even though she's already graduated from here. If you lazy slackers even bothered to pay attention, then maybe one of you would've graduated early!" Sensei smacked one sleeping kid in the head. "Who said you could sleep in my class?"

"Mm… No one." Mumbled the kid, his brown hair tousled, he held back a yawn. Sensei gave him a warning and left him alone for the time being. From then on, Sensei ignored Kagome and the sleeping kid for part of the period.

Kagome however decided to spend some time inspecting the students in the class, two caught her eye. '_The Sohmas…_' Kagome thought. She remembered Kyo, the carrot haired kid with the attitude, and… Her breath hitched in her throat, _Yuki_, his blackish-grey colored hair and purple eyes imprinted in her mind forever. Obviously, he wasn't called _Prince Charming_ for any particular reason; he had a way with words, a way with everything… He could twist his lips into the sexiest grin without any effort on his part. He was in every girls eyes, **perfect**. He returned her gaze; his eyes seemed to twinkle at her as if inviting her to come closer to him. She turned her head away from him, breaking the stare she had held. She didn't want to see the hatred in his eyes; by turning her head away she missed the look on his face. His face held a smile, his eyes however, told a different story. They told a story of sadness, of longing, of a forbidden desire that seemingly would never be told.

"Kagome, pass out these papers." Sensei handed her a stack of papers to hand out to the students, effectively snapping her out of her reverie.

"Sure, Sensei, whatever." Mumbled Kagome, taking the papers.

"What did you say?" inquired Sensei, her thin eyebrow rising.

"I said, yes Sensei." Kagome sighed, giving a packet of papers to one student.

"That's what I thought. Class, these papers are due in three days. Hand them in finished and get full credit, unfinished packets will get zeros." Sensei said, a smirk rising on her lips. Groans came out of the throats of many students. "I almost forgot… you'll have a final next week. Don't forget to bring pencils."

"No one uses pencils anymore, its all about mechanical pencils now!" said a boy in the front.

"Shut up, if you care to repeat that again a week from now I'll be sure to take ten points off your paper." Sensei smiled. The bell rang, signaling that everyone would now go to their next class. "Don't forget tomorrow is Valentine's Day, no skipping homeroom." However, not many students heard her over the loud noise of stomping feet and chatter.

Kagome however had, a depressive mood settled over her. In her mind she relived all her Valentine Days so far in her life, her heart clenching at each painful memory. There had been one Valentine Day that had been very much painful, the most of the current lot, when she had been at the tender-age of fourteen. She remembered shyly coming up to a senior who was standing alone in the halls, rushing past him and pushing the box of chocolates into his hand. She blushed and rounded a corner to hide behind the row of lockers, once her blush had went away she peeked around the bend. To her horror, she found the senior surrounded by a group of friends who laughed at his expense. The boy, Yui, held the box unable to say anything. Her heart had broken that day, but not because of Yui, but because of his friends who seemed to mock her before her eyes by laughing at her token. Thankfully, her heart had mended before the year was over.

During this whole time Kagome had been stapling packets for the oncoming classes, when she ran out of papers to staple, she began stapling together pieces of paper.

"Lunch break, Higurashi." Ms. Shiraki, also known as Sensei Shiraki, spoke to Kagome who was still replaying memories.

"Hm, oh, yeah… Okay, I'll see you later, Sensei." Kagome walked slowly to the door, gently sliding it open. "Bye." She said again, this time softly. Her feet lightly tapped the tiles of the hallway; realizing no one was out in the halls, she broke into a run. Something inside of her needed to be let out, she didn't know how to let it out, she just needed to run. She closed her eyes and ran down the length of the hallway, not caring for the moment. She wished she was free as a bird, free like the way she was running. And then, everything seemed to stop…

Reality hit her; she had just ran into someone. Huffing she jogged backwards before reaching the person she had accidentally hit while having her _moment_. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, taking big gulps of air in between words, her hands on her knees. Kagome's head hung down, the sloppy ponytail her hair had been put in began to fall out. Finally she turned her head towards the person, pushing hair from her eyes to see him. She was **sure** it was a him, anyway. "Are--," she cut herself realizing who she was talking to. "Shit," she swore under her breath. "You're okay. So… I gotta go." She took off running, where did the promise she made to herself two years ago stand.

"Kagome, wait…" his voice began to drift, his words no longer willing to exit his mouth. Here he was, Yuki Sohma, Prince Charming telling a girl to wait. His violet eyes flashed, his hand unconsciously rubbed the spot where she had touched him.

_There's so much I didn't say. Your eyes are telling me things. There's so I much I need to tell. But, how? There's so much waiting… _

_

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Tea Room –_

So there you have it, the first chapter to replace _Zodiac Love_. I hope everyone likes it… There will be a lot of flashbacks on Kagome's part, and a lot of sadness. There will be some painful memories, and yes there is a secret Kagome is keeping. It may be from herself or someone else… You'll never know.

Everyone, keep reading and reviewing and I'll eventually update. But, phew, I didn't expect to get out a little over a thousand words today.


	2. Chapter 2

**Better Than Ever**

Disclaimer: Nyuh, I own nothing. Blah, blah, blah, blah…

_Author's Notes:_

Thank you, everyone, for leaving me reviews. I was so excited to wake up and find my mail box filled with some reviews. Hehe, I almost danced. But, you know what I didn't because that would've been the most horrible thing ever, if you've personally seen my "Happy Dance".

_Review Answering Time!_

**MM(dot)org – **

**Kage Otome** – Did you know that was my whole plan to intrigue readers? Do you have mind reading powers, which I don't happen to know of? Thanks for the review.

**gothic fuzzies** - I happy to know that your happy to know you inspired someone. ; I made no sense but, who cares… Yes, Yuki did know Kagome before. I can't really tell you what kind of relationship they have because it would ruin the story. They _could_ be Fried Chicken, but hm… I seem to be hungry. Hehe. Maybe I will re-write _Zodiac Love _eventually, but I will have to put in a plot twist. Thanks, I'll check out youtube(dot)com.

**moosegirl13** – Yes! I've made another person feel special. Thanks for the compliments, yesterday I was reading your current chapter and then I realized my chapters are really short, heh, I did try to lengthen the last chapter though. I hope it, this fanfic, has enough potential to keep me hooked or I won't be able to update as often.

**Devilangel620** - I know, I know… But hey, there will be hope if I do finish _Better than Ever_. In this fanfiction, Yuki shall be 18 as well Tohru and Kyo. The others ages… Not sure yet.

_FF(dot)net _–

**KawaiiKoneko89** – Aw, I'm sorry, but hey! Maybe someone will take up _Zodiac Love_ for me?

**Kami-no-sama** – Heh heh, I'm very happy that you love this story. ; I don't know about the award thing though… Er, I'm not good enough.

**Kiharu-Kurama** – You've NEVER read a good Fruits Basket and Inu Yasha crossover? Well, the only place, I can think of right now, that has a few really good FB crossovers… Is at MediaMiner(dot)org. If you look REALLY HARD on FF(dot)Net you'll find some.

**Youkai'ofuda** – I've seen you around on MediaMiner. I'll update soon, I think… Hehe.

**vballbrea12 **– Thanks. It seemed a lot of people really liked _Zodiac Love_ … Hehe.

**Adriannrod **– Er… Thanks.

* * *

**Chapter 2 **– **Valentine's Day Chaos**

* * *

Kagome sighed, trying to catch her breath as she leaned against her car. Two tears slowly leaked out of her eyes, her heart thumped wildly. Deep inside of her, her heart swelled to know that he cared _at all_. Kagome rubbed her head; she knew that when she asked for the TA position she would have to see the Sohmas on campus. Her stomach grumbled making her blush; looking at her watch she determined that there would be enough time for her to go grab a sandwich from the Deli(**1)** across the street and run back to eat it safely on campus. If she was late, who cared, it wasn't like she was in High School anymore. Her community service for the day would be up in one hour, including her lunch break.

She took her time crossing the road, watching for cars and helping little kids across the road. Once she crossed the threshold of the Deli she knew the trip was worth it. The smell of fresh baked bread reached her nose, her ears picked up the noise of chattering and slicing.

"Whole wheat bread, avocado, turkey, and ham sandwich combo. No cheese and onions please. Oh! I almost forgot extra lettuce." Kagome said ordering her sandwich. She smiled, her mouth watered at the thought of the sandwich. _A drink!_ She thought, looking around for the one she wanted. _Ice tea…Perfect, now some baked chips. _

"That'll be five hundred and sixty-two yen (about $4.75 in U.S. Currency)."(**2) **The homely lady at the counter said, ringing up the items. Kagome smiled at her before handing her the exact amount of coins. "Have a nice day." She yelled at Kagome, who was already out the store and running up the hill with her bag.

* * *

"Made it in the nick of time." Kagome huffed, taking one last step up the hill before falling on the grass next to her. "That's a workout, who knew I was so out of shape." Her stomach growled, once again reminding her that she had to eat. Sitting up, she searched the brown bag for her sandwich, chips, and bottled ice tea. "Ah-hah!" She was absolutely starving, and the sandwich looked even more delicious. Her teeth tore out a big chunk of the sandwich, while one hand put a chip in her mouth. These actions were continued until there was nothing else to eat. "That was good," Kagome let out a small burp, followed by a giggle. She patted her stomach, watching the clouds above her pass by. "I guess, I should get back to my college campus now. Fifteen minutes won't do anything, I just have to get off my butt and walk all the way to Principal Nazuna's office." A moment passed by before she said, "Okay… Kagome get off your butt."

Blue eyes flickered open, her dainty mouth opened to let out a groan. "Good girl," she told herself as she got up and dusted herself. Grabbing her garbage, she broke into a steady jog. Her destination: Principal Nazuna's office.

* * *

"Hello again, dear." The lady at the front desk smiled at her, _again_. What was with people these days? Kagome smiled at her, she was such a sweet old lady, she hoped that the trouble-makers sent to the office didn't bother her. Her feet took her to the sign-out sheet on the old lady's desk. Filling out the blank row on the paper, she began to mull over the day's happenings in her head.

"I'll see you later, Ms. Kaede." Kagome nodded her head at the kind old woman before leaving. It was time to get back to her college campus, to her regular life without the day-to-day drama.

Hopefully, tomorrow would be different. _Yeah, right, it's Valentine's Day_. A snort followed that thought.

* * *

The next day was another day, another opportunity, another day of dodging the Sohmas. Yep, that was all that was in store for Kagome. Yet another sigh escaped through her lips, her hands on her steering wheel tapped to a song that was currently playing on the radio. After a few minutes of driving Kagome was in the parking spot she had been in yesterday at the high school. Slowly, almost as if hesitantly, she swung her legs out of her car and set her feet firmly on the cement ground. Automatically her body propelled forward with the usage of her legs, taking her inside the high school and into Mr. Nazuna's office once more.

"Hello Ms. Kaede, are those flowers I spot on your desk? Do you have a secret admirer?" Kagome teased the old woman, a blush colored Kaede's cheeks. Kagome's feet brought her to the receptionist's desk, signing herself in and grabbing a name tag for herself. She brought her nose to a lovely white rose, taking a whiff; she smiled as the scent danced around her nose. _How come she's got a man and I don't? Oh, that's right… I didn't want one. _While keeping her noise in the white roses was enjoyable, she really had to get moving. "I'll see you later Ms. Kaede, one piece of advice though, make sure to put some aspirin in that vase of flowers. It makes the flowers live longer."(**3) **She sauntered out of the office with a smile on her face. _Maybe today is going to be a good day…_

She wandered through the halls just to take a walk, or maybe she had something else in mind.

"_Did you give some chocolate to Yuki?" _

"_Of course, did you?" _

"_Isn't Kyo just cute?"_

"_Kyon!" _

Once again she heard snippets of some sort of conversation. After hearing Yuki's name, Kagome's mood had desinagrated in a matter of seconds leaving her with a flurry of thoughts and emotions. Her feet had once again carried her unconsciously somewhere, this time to the last place on her she wanted to be at this moment. Shiraki-Sensei wouldn't be in class for another six minutes. Yuki hadn't come into the class yet she noticed; she wandered aimlessly around the room. Her eyes darted to the windows, the wind softly playing with the blossoms of the tree next to the window.

"Yuki…" a girl behind Kagome breathed out.

_Great... Let the show begin._

Kagome turned around quickly, her hair billowing around her like a black cloud. Her eyes caught Yuki's own violet eyes; they acknowledged each other with a nod.

"Yuki! These are for you." The girl had her hair up in buns; she shyly pushed her little bag of chocolates into Yuki's hand. One by one, girls began to pop up. Each of them leaving a bag of chocolates on Yuki's desk, some of the bags had little notes attached to them. Some said things like, "Marry me." "Go out with me?" etc. Kagome almost laughed out loud at expressions Yuki's face made when he got yet _another_ chocolate bag. He would occasionally smile at a girl, being the ever polite person, he always said thank you.

"Kyo, here's some chocolate for you." Miyu smiled while handing him his chocolate bag. Her friends following her lead, dropped bags of chocolates on his desk. Here Miyu was trying to act all innocent, everyone in the school knew she was anything other than innocent. Analyzing Miyu's outfit, Kagome finally decided that the uniform that the girls had to wear was shorter than it usually was. Or maybe Miyu had just shortened it? When Miyu had handed Kyo his bag, Kagome had seen the look on Kyo's face as Miyu lowered herself, giving him an eyeful of her boobs. The expression on his face was priceless, something akin to disgust and shock. _If only I had a camera…_Kagome couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out of her now, this was just too hilarious. Her laughter started out soft and then progressed in seconds into a very loud audible laughter. Everyone turned silent; it was so quiet you could hear _almost_ hear the wind passing by your ears.

"What?" Kagome smiled as everyone continued to stare at her. She rolled her eyes, "Oh, quit looking at me. I'm not going to explain to you guys. You wouldn't understand with your—" She stopped herself before she said even more.

_I forgot how she used to laugh… She used to laugh like that, she was so happy then…_ Yuki thought to himself, his eyes a little hazed over, his mind gone to back to memories. Kyo however, was thinking much more violent thoughts.

_She better not be laughing at me… Is today Valentine's Day…? It's the 14th…_

"Oh shit!" Kyo smacked himself in the head, "I need to get away. Stay away for a few days… Yeah, that sounds good." He gathered up his stuff, he ran for the door. Too bad he never made it out the door, he ran right into Ms. Shiraki's clipboard.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked him in a clipped tone. "You'd better not be skipping school like you tried a couple of years ago, punk."

"Why you…" Kyo grit out.

"What makes you think you can talk to me like that? I'm ready to die that thing you call hair, black. Oh, look, you even got chocolate." Sensei smiled, she had fun teasing him.

"Shut up!"

"Get in your seat." Sensei pointed at his seat, "Now."

"Old bat." Kyo mumbled under his breath, which earned him another smack in the head.

"Anyone else want to copy the punk?" Sensei asked the class, heads shook to answer her question. "I thought so."

* * *

A group of kids waited at the corner of the sidewalk. The group consisted of Kyo, Yuki, Tohru, Momiji, and last but not the least important Hastuharu (Haru). Cars passed them on the road, blocking the crosswalk area. The cars stopped when the light turned red, leaving the crosswalk area cleared all the way to the other side. The group began to walk, only stopping when Kyo suddenly stopped almost as if frozen to the spot.

"_She's_ here." Utter disbelief entered his voice. Almost as if hearing his voice, her grey eyes looked his way. Her dark brown hair fluttering a little because of the breeze that danced across the street.

"Ah… Kyo…" she let those words float out of her mouth, her gaze kind, her attitude seemed loving and caring. A light blush powdered her cheeks. She began walking towards him. Her arms opened, as if beckoning him into her embrace. Not wanting to be in her embrace, Kyo turned around and ran. She followed him, chasing him like a cat would chase a mouse.

The group watched her chase Kyo around and around, unable to anything for the poor boy. Cars honked, telling the kids to either move or be run over. The group moved back to the sidewalk to wait for Kyo.

_Good job Kagura. I can always count on you to distract Kyo, which will distract the whole group. This'll give me some time to do what I originally wanted to do. Thanks for showing up to do what I knew you would do Kagura._ Kagome mentally gave Kagura her thanks, promising herself that she would later voice her thanks to her in person. _Now… If only my car would start, my plan would be perfect…_ Her hand twisted the key in the ignition, the engine making pitiful sounds before roaring to life. _I have to get a new car soon. _

_Here I come, ready or not. _

* * *

He'd seen that car before; he knew he'd seen that care somewhere before, and very recently. Right now he just couldn't think where. He and the rest of the group trudged up the path to Shigure's house, hurrying to get inside the house since rain clouds hovered in the skies that were once clear.

"Hey, Yuki, open the damn door before we get there!" yelled Kyo who at the moment was very irritated. Kagura was currently holding onto his right arm with pincer like grip. Yuki didn't answer; he just quickened his pace so he could get to the door faster. He slid open the door, dropping his stuff off inside and quickly took off his shoes. He pulled up his head, his ears tried to pick up the laughter of an unknown woman, whose laugh he had just heard seconds before. He could hear footsteps coming closer to him inside and outside of the house.

"Shigure, it was nice seeing you again." She said, her back was facing him. She hugged Shigure, Yuki closed his eyes thinking Shigure would transform into his zodiac animal. It never came. Yuki opened his eyes slowly; her back was still to him. Shigure hugged her back.

"It was nice seeing you as well." Shigure said smoothing the back of her hair. Finally she slipped out of his embrace, turning around, she was ready to leave.

"Yuki…" the word came out in a gasp.

"Kagome," he asked his eyes wide. "What are you doing here?"

* * *

_Tea Room –_

You remember these numbers in the chapter right? These exact numbers… With the (?) and all.

**(1)** – I had to westernize it, I don't know if there is an _actual_ Deli… Whatever… You understand, right?

**(2)** – There's this great site I found online that changes any amount of any kind of currency into yen. If you want to know what that website is e-mail me!

**(3)** – I just heard that if you put aspirin in water it helps the roses live longer… It may not be true.

Nuh-nuh, I had to break it off there. This chapter without the author notes in the beginning and end is more than 2,000 words.

I have bad news, the updates will be slower after this because I'm going to take **gothic fuzzies** advice and watch FB episodes on youtube(dot)com. Until then, no more updates. Okay maybe…

And, people keep telling me to continue writing _Zodiac Love_… I never knew it was so popular.

Thank you everyone for the reviews, I know I forgot some of your reviewers. I'm so sorry, but in my rush to finish my chapter… Well you know. BUT! I am very sorry.

**ALSO:**

**I have just decided that I REALLY NEED a beta-reader for this story. Anyone up for the job? E-mail me about it at, **

**kistunefan(at)yahoo(dot)com. Or just leave a review with your e-mail address. **

Keep those reviews coming, they really inspire me!


	3. Chapter 3

**Better Than Ever**

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Get over it; you can't have my feeble amount of money.

_Author's Notes_:

La, la, la… So, um, hehe… I hope you guys like the chapter! That's about all I have to say for now…**

* * *

**

Chapter 3 – Running Away from Everything

* * *

Kagome opened her mouth trying to get her words out of her mouth, her mouth suddenly seemed dry. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, not helping her in _any _way. She felt strong hands place themselves on her shoulders, almost as if to reassure her that someone did care about her in this situation. She didn't have to turn around to know that it was Shigure. She wanted to tell Yuki about everything, everything that had happened to her… But, something was keeping her from doing that. Something deep inside of her blocked her from telling him of anything that had come to pass.

"I… I, uh…" now Kagome was wordless… What more would happen to her?

"Hey! What's _she_ doing here?" asked Kyo, who was still very much irritated. The cause for his irritation still on his arm. He did a double-take of things,

First of all, Shigure was holding onto her shoulders.

Second, Yuki was currently not paying attention to anything but her.

Third, What didn't he know?

Tohru peeked around Kyo to look at the situation at hand. Haru crossed his arms; he knew what was happening… On the other hand, Momiji had never met Kagome before, and curiosity got the better of him.

"Hello, I'm Momiji, who are you?" his cheerfulness scaring Kagome a bit. He reminded her of how she used to be, overly cheerful.

"Uh… I'm Kagome." She smiled, he was just _so_ adorable.

"Hello, Kagome." He had a wonderful smile, and suddenly she was in a fit of giggles. He was simply adorable; he wore the blue girl's uniform and instead of skirts, shorts. Then he hugged her, just like he had hugged Tohru after being introduced. He was a bit shorter than her, his head was currently under her breasts. There was no _poof_ as everyone else, other than Yuki and Shigure, expected.

"Ah-hah…Um…" Kagome said weakly, pulling out of Momiji's embrace, and backing into Shigure. "_I'm_ going to make all of us some tea…" she mumbled to Shigure, before walking away to the kitchen.

Shigure scratched the back of his head, "Shall we all go into my study?" he suggested before ushering them all into his study. "You're all probably wondering what's going on right?" Heads nodded. "Well… I can't answer that. However! Kagome can." The group patiently sat, waiting for their tea and Kagome to come. Gradually the sound of feet lightly padding down the wooden floor came closer to them. The smell of traditional green tea wafted towards them through the thin door, no one dared to breathe; the door slid open and the silence broke.

"What's wrong with everyone? No one's talking." A frown moved onto her face.

"Tea?" Shigure asked finally, moving onto his feet to help pass out the steaming cups of tea in Kagome's hands. Everyone nodded their heads, not knowing what to do at this point.

"Shigure, what did you promise them?" she looked pointedly at him.

"Nothing." The steam coming off his tea was very interesting.

"Then why do they keep looking at me like they expect an answer from me?" Kagome _really_ wanted to throttle Shigure, making sure his head was rocking back and forth while she did this.

"We just want to know what's happening." Kyo glared at her, why was his life always like a soap on TV?

"That's none of your business." Kagome said stiffly at him, her hands itching to throttle Shigure.

"It is mine however." Yuki put in, he needed to know some things right now.

"No it isn't." Kagome didn't like where this was going, not at all.

"Yes."

"No." she turned her face away from Yuki.

"_Yes._" He said demanding her, his voice close to her. Everyone in the room stared at the pair, what truly was going on? What was buried between the two? Had Kagome spurned Yuki's love? "If you will excuse us, we'll be leaving. We're going to talk somewhere private." He pulled her out of the room, down the hallway and into the kitchen. "What's happening?"

"What do you mean, what's happening, Yuki?" She tugged at his hand that was encircled tightly around her wrist.

"You know what I mean Kagome. Stop playing around." His voice was cold and harsh. He was beyond hurt at this point, the Kagome he knew would never have kept secrets from him. The Kagome he knew would be yammering away about nothing in particular.

"I've changed Yuki." She certainly had changed; she could not meet his gaze so she fixed her eyes on his tie. "I'm different, I'm not the same person anymore. I don't go spilling my secrets to just anyone." _I've got a secret that you can't know about… _

"Kagome. Why are you back?" Yuki gently put his hands on either side of her face.

"I'm getting some credits for being a TA. That's all…" She kept avoiding his eyes.

"Is that _all_ you came back home for?" He emphasized the all. Their noses touched.

"Y-yes. No." She was nervous; she wasn't used to Yuki being this close to her anymore.

"No?" His voice filled with confusion.

"I don't know why I came back at all… I'm bringing up all this drama that should've stay buried a long time ago. That's why I left in the first place. I've said too much now… Just leave me alone. Please." She pleaded with him, her eyes finally looking into his. Yuki couldn't understand the pain he could hear in her voice, what had happened so long ago? He was too curious for his own good now. "Please. Just please, I want to forget some of my past."

"Kagome… What happened that day before you left?" He asked; his heart ached a little as tears began to leak out of Kagome's eyes.

"I can't tell you, Yuki. I can't. I can't." She sobbed; the tears flowed freely down the side of her cheeks. "Can't you understand that?" She calmed down minutes later; the crying had made her light-headed. Her face was tight; she could taste salt on her lips.She sniffed, breathing in air. "Are my eyes puffy?" _(1)_ Her question made Yuki smile at her a little. Thinking about her appearance at a time like this, how like Kagome. Maybe she wasn't as different as she claimed.

"Just a little, why?" He brushed a piece of her raven hair away from her eyes.

"I wanted to go back in Shigure's study for tea, I don't want everyone to worry and ask questions. Do you think the puffiness will go away in a few minutes?"

"Yes. Why don't we go get a paper towel wet and wipe your face?" Yuki suggested; Kagome nodded to his suggestion. The pair moved over to the sink and began to soak a paper towel. Kagome grabbed the wet paper towel away from him, only to have him gently take it away from her hands. He began the task of wiping her face clean, reminding him of cleaning up a scowling baby. "There, all done." He took a step back to admire his handiwork.

"Thanks." The scowl that had been on her face had fallen off minutes ago. It returned as soon as he gave her one of his long soul penetrating stares. She squirmed under his inspecting gaze. "I think we'd better head back soon." Kagome backed away from him, walking quickly back to Shigure's study. The light pounding of feet behind her let her know that Yuki was behind her. She slid open the rice paper door, watching as everyone but Shigure and Haru jumped back in surprise as they entered. "Hear anything good?" She looked everyone in the eye, most were too embarrassed to look her in the eyes.

"No." Kyo answered. "I still have questions." Kagome nodded, taking a sip of her lukewarm tea.

"Yeah, well, what are they?" Kyo stared at her curiously; he hadn't thought she would actually agree. However, there was a question that he wanted to be answered.

"Why can you hug one of us…? And you know…" His eyes narrowed. He was certain she wasn't a Sohma, well he was _pretty_ certain. What was she?

"Well… I actually don't know why I'm able to hug you guys. I think it's got to do something with the fact I grew up in a shrine, or maybe I've just got holy blood running through my veins? I've never really looked further into it." Kagome shrugged her shoulders, not looking at any of them. "Anymore questions?"

"Are you Shigure's girlfriend?" Momiji asked her innocently. His eyes wide, hands together in his lap. Kagome choked on her tea, surprising everyone.

"Kagome are you okay?" Tohru's face creased with worry.

"Yes. I just choked a little." Kagome smiled at Tohru, taking a long drink of tea after. "There, I feel a lot better now. That question just took me by surprise." She wanted to crack up laughing right now, but it just didn't seem polite. She cast a quick glance at Shigure, who had put a hand to his mouth to cover his smile. "Well you see… I'm not Shigure's girlfriend, even though he wishes I was. We're just friends, Momiji."

"Of course, if we were dating… You wouldn't see her out in public after because she'd be too sore from nightly activities. If you know what I mean." Shigure winked at everyone, his grin transforming into a smirk.

"Shigure. You pervert." Kagome grabbed a nearby pillow and whacked him in the head with it. "Sheesh, I wouldn't go out in public with you at all if you tell people those kinds of things."

"You didn't have to fuel my interest in you by wearing the little skimpy maid outfit I gave you. Especially on my birthday with that tight little, mmph!" A hand snaked onto Shigure's mouth, effectively shutting him up.

"You guys don't need to know about that." She smiled; her face red. She could feel Shigure's tongue licking at her hand, wanting it to get off of his face. She stooped down to his ear. "Stop licking." He ignored her and kept licking, it tickled the palm of her hand when he licked her.

"Then let go." He said behind her hand. He was all for being dominated and such, but he'd rather be in bed doing it. A wicked thought entered his mind, the smirk on his face widening. _Hm… I wouldn't mind it actually happening though._ "Kagome…" His voice was muffled behind his hand. Kagome paused to look at him; she was listening to what he had to say. "If get your hand off my mouth, I promise to behave." His fingers crossed behind his back. He scoffed mentally, as if he would miss a chance like this.

"Promise?" Kagome looked in his eyes, she was suspicious. The Shigure she knew wouldn't give up so easily. Seeing nothing she didn't like, she decided to trust him. Her hand slipped off his face and into her lap, her eyes watching his every movement after.

"Ah," Shigure sighed, taking in a deep breath. His usual charming smile plastered on his face. "Fresh air… Dear Kagome, thank you." He clasped his hands around hers, his charming smile still in place. "I have a gift of thanks in return." The tone of his voice had changed, from joyful to seductive. His grip on Kagome tightened, his arms bringing her closer to him. Smoldering eyes looked into Kagome's soul, and then his lips descended onto hers. Raven hair covering their faces a little, blocking stares from everyone.

"Oh, Kyo. This is so romantic." Kagura sighed as she watched Shigure and Kagome. "Kiss me." She demanded, turning to face him.

"You're kidding me… Right? No way." Kyo shook his head, turning his face away from her.

"You'll do it…!" she said, towering over him. Her face had a violent look about it, her raven locks blew around her. A mysterious wind shifted around the two.

"Why would I do something _like that_ with someone _like you_? I said no!" Inside he was very scared of what Kagura might to at the moment, maybe beat him up?

"You're so cruel to me… You could at least be a little nicer to me…" She turned away from him, tears slowly leaking from her eyes.

"DON'T CRY!" He hung his head.

"Ugh, I can't watch this any longer. If you're going to make out, please go somewhere else." All eyes turned to Shigure, who sat next to a fuming Kagome.

"What's with kissing me, Shigure! You're giving everyone the wrong impression." She glared at him.

"Impression?" his face innocent, "It was only a spur of a moment thing."

"Everything's just a _spur of a moment _thing with you." Kagome shot back at him. Silence came over everyone after Kagome spoke. "I'm sorry, what I said was out of line." She apologized. Nothing was said after, she sighed and got up. The task of cleaning and gathering the tea cups was ahead of her.

"Here. Let me help you." A hand touched her gently, helping to pick up empty tea cups. Tohru gave her a smile, a smile that told her _It's okay, everything will be fine_.

"Thanks." Kagome said softly, picking up the rest of the cups. Kagome exited the room, carrying all the cups on her tray. "Oh… I need to get out of here." Scenarios ran through her head. She didn't want to do anything _too_ dramatic. At least not now. _No one needs to know… I just have to make a quick escape… But, it would be rude if I didn't say good-bye. _One idea seemed to appeal to her at the moment. _Ah, that should do it. A quick escape, nothing messy. _On a little piece of paper she wrote her farewell and quietly taped it onto Shigure's door. Her padded feet moved noiselessly down the hallway and out the door, stopping only at the door to slip on her shoes.

_

* * *

Screech. The loud noise echoed through out the house._

"You know… That sounded like a car leaving." Shigure scratched his head thoughtfully, as everything began to sink in. "Hm… I see… She's doing it again." Haru looked at him, the usual bored expression on his face.

"Kagome hasn't come back yet, I wonder what's taking her so long?" Momiji said, looking at the door as if expecting her to pop in.

"Well, isn't it obvious? Kagome just left in that car." Shigure smirked.

"What?" surprised, everyone turned their heads toward him. All except for Haru, he'd known her long enough to know how she did things.

* * *

_Tea Room _– 

(1) – When I cry, the skin around my eyes is puffy. It sort of irritates me because all of a sudden I feel bloated, but in the face.

Okay, so everyone here's an update. I am extremely sorry that it took so long. As you know, I am probably the slowest with updates and the shortest. Please forgive me and then maybe for the winter holidays I'll consider doing a double/triple update. I am not able to update at FanFiction, so I believe Mediaminer will be ahead in chapters in this fanfiction.


	4. Chapter 4

**Better Than Ever**

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Get over it; you can't have my feeble amount of money.

_Author's Notes_:

Uhm, so here's my excuse – my computer crashed, and I couldn't save any of my almost completed chapters for my stories… Basically, I'm starting from scratch and that ruined my whole life.

If you guys can accept my apologies – thanks.

Just to clarify, in this chapter Kagome is having a flashback. Also, there is a lemon, but it has been edited from FF(dot)Net. However, after I post this, Mediaminer(dot)org will have the unedited version. I will post a link in my profile, so look for it. It'll be under _Better than Ever_'s status. I just wanted to put that out there.

**Chapter 4 – Before her Beginning**

After leaving the house, Kagome had driven to a park about three miles away. Here, she found a tree covered in pearly pink blossoms. She sat at the base of the tree, letting the heavenly smell of the blossoms envelop her. She shivered, feeling the cold February breeze through her jacket. The park was empty. Sitting at the park brought back painful memories for Kagome.

_I remember it like yesterday, when I sat here… Listening to the trees whisper…

* * *

_

"What should I do?" Kagome asked no one in particular. Tomorrow would be _the _day. She was leaving to go to the university of her dreams. She was leaving behind Yuki – her loving boyfriend of a year. She was leaving behind… regrets. A lot of them.

_Do what you have to… _The branches above her seemed to whisper to her.

Blossoms drifted towards her as if saying, _No regrets…_

Kagome sat thinking, she was only sixteen – and confused.

_Why does it have to be this way? Why can't I choose? Someone tell me what to do… _

She sat in the park for an hour, thinking about the past, present, and future. It was during this time she made a choice. She was going to put her plan in action. She was going to seduce him and leave no regrets when she left.

* * *

The rain had started to pour down hard on her, two hours after leaving the park. She took a taxi down to a motel and put her plan into action. She, Higurashi Kagome, was going to lie. After checking into the motel, she settled herself into the room – she had thought ahead and chosen a highly recommended motel. The phone on the nightstand next to the bed caught her eye, she hurried to it. Punching numbers into the phone, she waited for someone pick up on the other line.

"Sohma Residence," said the person on the other line. The person was most likely a servant.

"May I speak to Hatori Sohma," Kagome said.

"Of course, wait a second please." Kagome heard the person on the other line put down the phone and walk away. Even though she only waited less than a minute, it seemed to stretch on for hours, until she heard a click from the other end of the phone line and then another click.

"Hello, this is Hatori Sohma. Who is calling?" The doctor was quite irritated at this pointing time; he had just finished a lovely dinner and had planned on heading to bed until the servant had come to bother him. A soft, relieved sigh reached his ears.

"Hi, Hatori, it's just Kagome. I was kind of worried that someone had hung up on me. I was waiting for the dial tone…" She chuckled nervously, _Kagome! This is not the time to back out! Go!_

"Is that all you called for?" Hatori asked, his voice cool as he impatiently looked at his wristwatch.

"Well, no… I was wondering if you would meet me somewhere…" She hated the tight, twisting, fluttering feeling in her gut. She only felt this way when she was around Yuki.

"Of course." He rolled his eyes; she probably knew that he would do anything for her.

"Oh, thanks. Let me give you the address and room number," she let out a silent sigh of relief, she thought for sure he was going to reject her and ruin her plan. She proceeded in giving him the address of the motel she was at. She mumbled her thanks as she prepared to hang up. He hung up first. _Oooooh, that jerk… Not even a goodbye…

* * *

_

The rain had stopped when she had called him. It was beginning again.

He hurried to his car as he felt small, light drops of water hit his nose from above. It was starting to rain, he realized. He paused, standing at his opened car door as the rain started to come down a little bit harder. _Maybe this is a bad omen… Maybe the gods are saying to turn back and refuse… _He ignored the way his train of thought was going. He turned his face towards the sky, as one by one pellets of water began to soak his face. Just as fast as he turned his face upward, he turned it down and ducked into the car. He threw the jacket he had just realized he had been holding into the passenger seat next to him, which happened to be on the right side of the car. _(1)_ He turned on his headlights, wind-shield wipers and shifted the car into Drive. In a matter of seconds, he was out of the gates of the Main House and onto the roads that led to the outside world.

He let the soft swishing of the wipers lure him into a relaxed state; after all… he would be driving straight down the road for thirty minutes at least. This was the perfect time for him to contemplate. He wondered why she would call him… especially when she knew it would be her last day before she left for her University. _Shouldn't she be spending it with Yuki? _He wondered at her reasons for staying at a motel. _When did my respect for her turn to admiration and then infatuation? I am at the point of obsessing over her too much… At night, my dreams are filled with heated visions of her… and me… with silken sheets…What has happened to me? What have you done to me, Kagome?

* * *

_

Kagome sat on the bed in the motel room. The room was dimly lit, since she had only turned on the lamp on the nightstand next to her and the table lamp. She had called the main Sohma Residence only forty minutes ago, she was starting to get impatient. She had stepped outside twenty minutes ago to buy a can of chilled sake from the beverage dispensing machine, outside of her motel room. _(2)_ The sake had served its initial purpose, it had given her a jolt and she was just a little flushed.

Where was Hatori? A slow smile crawled onto her face as she thought about Hatori. What had initially drawn her to Hatori was that quiet, beautiful personality. Just like her Yuki, yet he appeared to be colder. Hatori appeared to be unattainable; like he had been hurt before and didn't want to be hurt again. In the beginning, she had admired his choice of profession. In the end, she was mesmerized by the way dark silky strands of his hair would cover his hazel-brown eyes. Her eyes would follow his long fingers as they reached up to his forehead and brushed away the hair. Just thinking about his fingers brought a familiar ache to her groin area.

She was brought of her musings by an abrupt banging near the door of her motel room.

"Oooooh, baby…" she heard a female voice moan. "Yeah, right there…" The female moaned again as Kagome heard another bang – presumably the female's body against her room door.

"I don't plan on stopping," Kagome heard a masculine voice say. "Where's your room key card?"

"In my pocket." Kagome heard shuffling.

"Bingo!" the masculine voice chuckled and then she heard a bang as the door was shoved open. A few minutes later, Kagome could hear the couple moving on the bed. She could hear the moans and grunts coming through the wall. When was Hatori going to get here?

* * *

He had parked his car only moments ago. The rain had turned into a hard drizzle while he had been driving. As he stepped out of the car, the sprinkle of rain hit him lightly. He headed towards Kagome's room, as he got closer he could see a pen stuck between the door and its frame. Dim light illuminated the opening between the door and its frame. He could hear the sounds of sex coming from the room next to hers.

He pushed open the door of her room and kicked the pen inside. She was waiting for him on the bed.

* * *

The butterflies in her stomach had been fluttering as she heard the unmistakable sounds of _his_ feet hitting the ground. She had heard him pause at the door and then swiftly come in. The soft click of the door closing echoed in her room.

He was breath-taking to look at; he was very handsome, yet not arrogantly so. She could see drops of moisture hanging in his hair, making certain strands cling together. His cheeks were slightly red from the cold. She unconsciously swiped her tongue against her suddenly dry lips as her eyes roved over the rest of him.

"Kagome," she heard him say. She lifted her eyes to his face. "Are you okay?"

"No," she said, her voice cracking. "Come here." His pants swished as he came to stand and then sit next to her on the bed. Turning to him, she pushed him flat against the bed. "I want you so bad," she whispered. She let her lips fall onto his and then deepening the kiss as he relaxed into the bed beneath him.

Hatori wasn't sure how to handle this situation, he wanted to badly comply with her wishes… but the rational, moral side of him knew she was still with his younger cousin. He wanted so badly to touch her though. That was it! He couldn't handle it anymore. He threw all his caution out the window and intertwined his fingers into her hair, pulling her on top of him.

* * *

The sun peeked through the clouds around, its rays effectively waking the only inhabitant of the bed. They groaned trying to cover their eyes from the bright rays of sunlight streaming through the window's curtains.

"Kagome?" his voice husky from sleep. He turned to his left, expecting to see the young woman in question. He found nothing. He frowned, knowing that last night had not been a dream. He turned back to his right, looking at the digital clock. It was a quarter past eight in the morning.

_It wasn't a dream…

* * *

_

Kagome smiled as the train conductor took her ticket. She had woken up early in order to catch her train. Today, she would start out as a new person. She would be heading to the university of her dreams. But most of all, she would be leaving with no regrets.

_No regrets…

* * *

_

Kagome felt tears slip from between her lashes. Thinking about that night always brought back longing that she had buried deeply when she had left behind her past, on that day; the day she boarded the train and became a girl that no one knew. The wind was forgivingly cold; she felt numb in a sort of good way. The aroma of the cherry blossom petals still swirled around her, the smell comforting.

She stopped crying as she heard a bicycle nearing. She checked her wristwatch, she had left Shigure's house only an hour and an half ago. She titled her head, her hair falling to cover her face. From the shelter of her dark hair, she looked at the person coming down one of the park's many paved walk-ways towards her. Through her hair she could make out partial details of the cyclist. Some obvious ones were, he was a boy and he had a head of different shades of color.

"Damn," she swore under her breathe. She knew that eventually if she sat down long enough in one spot that one of them would've found her. "Hello, Haru."

"Hello Kagome," he said calmly, being the polite, well-mannered boy that he was. He put his bicycle against the base of the tree and sat down next to her, on the grass. "I can see why you like it here." He said, after moments of silence.

"You got a new bicycle." Her voice was soft; she avoided looking into his eyes.

"No." He turned to her. "I stole it from Shigure." She laughed at this; the sound made his lips twitch up a little. Just _a little_. "It's not like he uses it anyways." He scooted closer to her, until they were touching. She let him embrace her. He let her lay her head on his shoulder. They sat together in silence, watching the cherry blossom petals swirl around them. Kagome tilted her head up to look at Haru's face. Behind his bored façade, she knew he was really enjoying the tranquility of the moment. He looked down at her, his dark eyes boring into her own blue ones. "Why did you leave?"

Sighing, she placed her head on back onto his shoulder again. "I don't know."

"You do know that was a deliberate move, leaving like that." She looked up at him again, her eyes watching as the wind ruffled with his black and white hair.

"I'm not who I used to be." She was still looking at him.

"Neither am I." He said coolly, holding her gaze. Kagome didn't bother to reply to him. She rolled her eyes and returned to watching the pearly pink petals swirl around them, spotting the green grass with small mounds of pink. This was companionable silence at its best.

* * *

_Author's Notes_

Okay, so there… I'm done with this chapter. I had originally planned for it to be a prequel one-shot to _Better than Ever_ but… then I changed my mind. Sorry that the wait was long. As soon as I post this, I'm going to work on a Kyo/Kagome one-shot that I've had tumbling in my mind for a while.

_(1)_ In Asia, Japan included, and Europe people drive on the left side of the car. I don't know why, so don't ask.

_(2)_ There are public vending machines in Japan that do sell sake in cans. At least that was what a friend told me who visited Japan. The legal drinking and buying age in Japan is twenty though… So I may be wrong.

So, here's the thing about Kagome and Hatori having sex. It's allowed. The age of consent is at thirteen in Japan. Kagome is above that age. Also, Hatori in this flashback is twenty-four. So don't give me any bull about them having this rendezvous as illegal. So… Have a nice day everyone and don't forget to review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Better than Ever**

Disclaimer: I own nothing, once again – this is basically the standard disclaimer.

_Author's Notes_

It's been a month or more since I last updated… writing has been hard and… my inspiration is all dried up, like the bottom of a dry well.

**Chapter 5 – Unraveling her Secrets **

Somehow, everyday, Yuki always felt he had to put on a mask every morning – put on his charming, polite self and pretend as if nothing was wrong in the world. In the school's uniform he looked like every other boy at his school, besides the fact he had a fan club that consisted of most of the school's female students.

He wanted a sense of normalcy.

He knew he would never get that. When Kagome had come into his life, he had gotten a taste of what the life of a normal boy would've been like. He had been able to truly smile and be charming in his happiness. He didn't have to pretend anymore. When Kagome had announced her departure, though, he had been happy for her… but sad for himself. He was never one to be selfish; he wouldn't ask her to stay in high school with him and put aside her bright future. As days passed by and the day she would leave became closer and closer, Yuki felt he had to put back on a mask again – fitting it to himself once more.

On the day she left, his mask was firmly back in place – like nothing had ever changed.

They had promised to send each other letters, despite the distance, and try to continue their relationship. Letters over e-mails, they said, more intimate they agreed. Despite how much they had wanted their relationship to work, the long distance seemed only to speed up the disintegration of it. The letters were daily when Kagome reached the university, then later weekly in the month that followed. After that they became monthly, both of them busy with their separate lives. After a year, the correspondence between the two stopped.

It was during those two years of separation that she had changed, Yuki was sure of it. _Kagome… What happened while we were apart?_

Kagome knew Yuki had been too perfect to have been hers for long. He was the ideal man, polite, courteous, kind, intellectual, and being handsome was just an added bonus. When Kagome had left that day, it had dawned on her that she was leaving behind a fairytale. The train ride had given her enough time to think about how high school seemed to be just a fairytale; a place where perfect people had perfect relationships.

Yuki was a loving, kind, and loyal boyfriend. What was she? She was not so loyal but loved him as much as he loved her. He was perfect and she knew she was flawed. It would be a little while longer until she would realize that everyone was flawed, damaged to some degree. Even those who appeared to be perfect on the outside.

She equated reality with college and to her high school would be an alternate universe. When she had felt she had firmly separated herself from her past, she knew she would have to end things with Yuki – and so her replies to his letters became more sporadic and distant. Somehow, deep in her heart, she knew was doing the right thing because they were both too fragile. She was letting him go.

* * *

It was during the break before her second year of university that she met Shigure Sohma, only then she hadn't known him as Shigure but rather as the famous romance novelist Noa Kiritani – the author of the popular _Summer-Colored Sigh_.

She had remembered seeing a flyer on the university's campus, advertising a rare public book signing by Noa Kiritani at a book shop that was a twenty minute walk from the campus. A few days later she was at the front of the book store, in a long line of women and the occasional man, holding her own copy of _Summer-Colored Sigh_.

Kagome knew that Noa Kiritani didn't often make public appearances, so the long wait in line would be worth it. After all, how often was one able to see their favorite romance novelist? With that thought in her head, she stood in line for three hours – determined that her book would be signed. She smiled as became the third person in line, then the second – and then she giggled as she handed Nao Kiritani her book.

"May I be graced with your name, Miss?" his velvet voice asked. His eyes were covered by dark sunglasses.

"Kagome Higurashi, Kiritani-san." She smiled, knowing that he could most likely see the bright red splotches on her pale cheeks. She felt her cheeks grow warmer as his fingers brushed over hers, retrieving the book from her hands. Her eyes followed his fingers as he flipped the cover of the book to write on the blank side. She shifted her eyes to his face, tracing the contours of his face with her eyes. She wanted to gaze into his eyes, but the sunglasses were black and kept them hidden from the world.

"Here you go, Miss," he said, handing the book back to her. His lips quirked into a teasing smile, noticing her intense inspection of his facial features. The blush that had momentarily left Kagome's face came back full force as he smiled at her. She heard shuffling behind her and felt herself being pushed aside, as the person behind her became impatient. "Have a good day!" He called, watching as she backed away from the book shop. He sighed, watching her go farther and farther away from him.

"Next?"

* * *

Kagome smiled as she walked away from the book shop. She had felt a spark of chemistry as Noa's hand had brushed hers. The first spark of _anything_ since she had left Yuki behind. She shook her head at the thought of Nao Kiritani actually liking a girl like her. He was a somebody and she was a nobody…

_It's like me and Yuki all over again…_ She thought bitterly.

She sighed, remembering that Nao Kiritani had _signed_ her book. She opened her book to look for his signature and perhaps, a note from him.

_Call me and let's get together for some coffee. _

She smiled at his note, looking below at his signature and number. She felt giddy, unable to truly believe that this was happening to her.

_Things are looking up for me._

Imagine his surprise when the pretty girl from the book signing had decided to call him. He just knew he had to put his number in her book… or rather he had felt obligated to do so. It had been destined to happen.

_It was fate,_ he thought, a grin spreading across his face, _that brought her to me._

It had been ten months since Kagome had met Nao Kiritani or, as the person she had come to know, Shigure Sohma. A handsome older man with a perverse personality and an odd sense of humor.

Sometimes Kagome would meet up with Shigure at a café close to her apartment or they would talk on the phone. He always called her though. She hadn't understood why in the beginning of their relationship, but after dialing the phone number he had written down in her autographed book – she understood. The number he had given her at their first meeting no longer worked, having been disconnected two weeks afterwards. Shigure had simply explained it by saying it was for his own privacy. After all, he wouldn't want his phone number to end up in the hands of a deranged lunatic who happened to be a fan of his books.

She had acknowledged to herself that it was just one of his quirks that made him who he was.

But lately, Kagome had begun to wonder if Shigure was related to _her_ Sohmas.

It had only recently dawned on her that he could be related to the people she had left behind.

Well his last name had been a clue _and_ lately she had begun to dream again about Yuki. Mostly she dreamt about the night she had with Hatori. Memories would replay themselves in her mind, but the outcome would always be different.

If she dreamt about Yuki, usually she ended up staying in high school with him. From there, her life would be happy. Then she always woke up after graduating from high school, wondering what would've happened if she _had_ stayed. There was always the 'What Ifs'.

If she dreamt about Hatori, it was usually a replay of their night together. She would find herself next to him the day after, watching him as he awoke. But then she would always wake up, frustrated at herself for wanting something that could've never happened.

_Stop torturing yourself, hoping for more when you only have memories to comfort you._

It was during the eleventh month of their friendship that Kagome met another member of the Sohma family.

His hair had her eyes widening. The top of his head of hair was white and the roots were black.

_Is his hair for real?_ She wondered, her eyes scanning his head for signs of a weave, extensions, or anything to signal to her that his hair was not real.

"Hello, miss, my name is Hatsuharu Sohma." He looked familiar but she just couldn't place him.

"Hello, my name's Kagome." She smiled, offering him her hand to shake.

* * *

It wasn't until two months after their initial meeting that Kagome had begun to feel comfortable with him.

One time, she had taken him to her favorite park during winter.

The trees were bare and the landscape was covered in a white blanket of snow. The grey of the sidewalks stood out again the white.

She walked through the park, Haru as she now called him, right next to her.

"Don't you just love the snow?" she asked, jamming her hands into her pockets as the wind picked up.

"It's cold, white, and wet." He observed as they continued to walk.

"But it paves way for Spring." She said.

"I repeat, it's cold, white, and wet."

"It's a blank canvas on the ground. You can do anything with it!" She was trying so hard to get him to see things her way. "See!" she said, stopping and then falling backwards onto the snow. She moved her arms and legs as she laid down, making a snow angel.

"You're just going to get a cold." He stood watching her with his arms crossed. She sighed in response. Suddenly, a thought struck her.

"Well, I guess you're right…" She got up, turning her back to him. She slowly brushed the snow off of herself, pretending to pat her pants and shoes. She scooped up a ball of snow in her hands and quickly turned around, launching the ball at Haru. She laughed at the incredulous expression on his face. Her laughter seemed to unfreeze him. He rolled his eyes and then a devious grin broke across his face.

_Uh-oh…_

Splat! She felt wet snow on her face, sliding down and leaving a wet trail behind. Then she felt her body get hit by a multitude of snow balls.

"Ah!" she cried, running away from him.

* * *

_Don't get involved with the Sohmas, or else._

That was all the note slipped underneath her door had on it. She shivered in fear, even though it was only one sentence, she could practically feel the evil intention rolling off it in waves.

She wondered if the note had come from the Sohma Head… Yuki hadn't mentioned much about him, but he had been the reason that no one had known about their relationship. He had said that they would have to hide it in public. For whatever reason, she had listened to him. For that same reason, she wouldn't stay away from the Sohmas.

Later that evening, she called Shigure and talked to him for a lengthy amount of time. She tried to chatter away, as if nothing was wrong. She didn't know if her act was really working.

Later that month, Shigure and her had lunch at a bistro nearby.

A day later, as she was shopping in the mall a crowd surrounded her. She felt people bump into her. She gasped as someone jabbed her in the ribs and stepped on her toes. Looking around she noticed no one suspicious looking around her.

_How did that get there?_

A note had appeared in her hand. It looked similar to the one she had received a while ago.

_I warned you to stay away. Next time you won't be jabbed in the ribs. _

She hadn't thought the first one had been a serious threat, but now… She didn't know.

* * *

A month latter, the second note forgotten, she decided to go get ice cream with Haru.

The next day, she was looking at an outfit in a local boutique's window when she felt someone forcing her into the window. Time seemed to slow down as she fell through the window, the glass shattering around her. She could feel pieces of glass biting into her skin. She could see the blood.

Then, everything became a blur. Kagome only remembered certain parts of that day.

People rushing around her.

The ambulance.

The hospital.

Her family.

Her friends.

Shigure and Haru.

Get well gifts… and flowers.

And the next day, she got a note.

_This is what happens when you don't listen… _

* * *

He was tired of pretending, but he would keep pretending as long as he could. At least that was what he kept telling himself.

Everyone had gone to their respective rooms after Kagome had abruptly left. He had so many questions for her. Most importantly, he wanted to know how she had changed. What had happened to her while she was away?

"Yuki, are you okay?" Tohru asked, poking her head into his room.

"Yes, I'm fine Tohru. Do you need some help with dinner?" He smiled and got up to help her. Inside, he wasn't alright.

* * *

_Tea Room_ –

Sorry guys, I just needed to get this chapter out. I felt like I couldn't expand the length more without reiterating to the point of boredom.

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